120 THE DOVER ROAD 



time were still numerous in England. These privileged 

 beggars were deprived of their immunity from arrest 

 by the " Act for Punishment of Rogues, Vagabonds, 

 and Sturdie Beggars " (39 EUz. c. 4), wherein " all 

 persons that be, or utter themselves to be Proctors, 

 procurers, patent gatherers, or collectors for gaols, 

 prisons, or hospitals "* are, together with " all Fencers, 

 Bearewards, common players of Interludes, and 

 Minstrels " to be adjudged Rogues and Vagabonds. 

 Now it is sufficiently remarkable that this Act was 

 passed (perhaps with the strenuous help of Master 

 Watts, who Avas a Member of Parliament, and who we 

 see hated proctors so ardently) at about the time when 

 the " Six Poor Travellers " was built, and the reasons 

 for refusing admission either to a true Proctor of a lazar- 

 house, or to a pretended one, must be sufficiently 

 obvious. 



Master Watts entertained the Queen at his house 

 on Boley (? Beaulieu) Hill on the last day of her 

 visit, and when that courtly man apologised for the 

 " poor cottage " (he didn't mean it, but 'twas the 

 custom so to do) Her Majesty is supposed to have 

 graciously answered " Satis," and so Satis House it 

 remained, and the hideous building that now stands 

 upon its site still bears, grotesquely enough, its name. 



Quite a train of miscellaneous Royalties and 

 celebrities came here after Elizabeth's second visit 

 in 1582 ; the Duke of Sully ; James the First, who 

 angered the seafaring population because he didn't 

 care for the ships, loved hunting, and was afraid of 

 the cannon — James the First again, with Christian 

 the Fourth of Denmark and Prince Henry ; Prince 

 Henry by himself in 1611 ; Frederick, Elector Palatine 

 of Bohemia ; Charles the First on two occasions, on 

 the second of which " the trane-bands . . . scarmished 

 in warlike manner to His Majesties great content " ; 

 the French Ambassador, in 1641, who thought 



* Collectors for " Ho.-pital Saturday " funds come within the meaning of 

 this unrepealed Act. 



